Bucket wheel and method of making same



. Get. 9 1 923. 1,476,504

C. STEENSTRUP BUCKET WHEEL AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Dec. 9, 1920 Fig.1.

- QQQGGQG 22 Fig.5

Inventor:

Christian Steenst'r up,

Hi S Attorney.

CHRISTIAN STEENSTRUP, 0F SCHENEC'IADY, NEW YQRR, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL A CURPQBATION OF NEW YORK.

c'rarc co f 'zi' AND METHQD 0E BEARING SAME.

Application filed December 2, 19241). defied F0. @9335.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Cnnrsrran deemes'rnnr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady. in the county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bucket Wheels and Methods of Making Same, of which the following is a specification.

This application is a continuation in part of my application, Serial No. 272,588, filed January 22, 1919, bucket wheels and method of making the same.

The invention relates to bucket wheels for elastic fluid turbines which wheels comprise a disc to the periphery of which buckets are fastened, and has for its object to provide an improved wheel and method of making the same.

For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the accompanying description and the claims appended thereto.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustratin my invention; Fig. 2 is a view partly bro enaway and with certain parts in section of a fragment of a completed bucket wheel; Fig. 3 is a short section of a strip with opemngs punched therein; Fig. 4. is a section through the central portion of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of a modification.

Referring to the drawing, 5 indicates a disc which forms the web of a bucket wheel and which may be made from plate stock or other material. It may have the thickness found desirable for any particular case. Fig. 1 may be considered a bottom plan view and in carr in out my improved method disc 5 is fixed to an index plate 6 havin notch'es 7 in its periphery correspond mg to the number of buckets the completed wheel is to have. Preferably thenotches 7 are spaced apart an angular distance equal to that whichthe buckets are to be spaced. Pivoted to the center of index plate 6 is a lever 8 having a springpressed pawl 9 which engages notches 7. At 9 is a suitable cam in engagement with which lever 8 is held by a spring 10. Cam 9 ma be rotated in any suitable manner to osci late lever 8. thus imparting a etc by step movement to index plate 6 an disk 5. Backward turning of plate 6 is revented by a spring-pressed holding paw 11.

13 after which lever 8 advances the disk 5 one notch.

In order that the index plate 6 may ad'- vance exactly one notch at a time, I rovide an arrangement whereby lever 8 is in frictional engagement with plate 6 so that on the return movement lever 8 will pull the plate 6 to bring the teeth of plate 6 into firm engagement with pawl 11. To this end I provide the inner end of lever 8 with a sleeve 20, Fig. a, which passes through an opening in plate 6 and has a nut 21 on its outer end between which and the face of the plate is a disk 22 and a rubber ring '23. Disk 22 is suitably splined'to sleeve 20 so that it turns with the sleeve. By turning down nut 21, plate 6 may be frictionally clamped to the desired degree between the inner end of lever 8 and disk 22. 24 is a locking bolt for holding the parts just described in position. With this arrangement, after index plate 6 has bmn advanced by pawl 9 so that holding pawl 11 drops in the next notch and the return movement of lever 8 begins the frictional engagement between lever 8 and plate 6 will pull plate 6 back to bring the particular tooth into firm enagement with pawl 11.

the disk 5 1S advan step by step stri i2 is wound thereon, the holes in successlve layers of strip 12 coinciding and when the desired number of layers has been wound the strip is cut 0d and the end telnporarily fastened. After the end of the strip has been fastened, buckets 15, as indicated in Fig. 2, are assembled around the disk with their bases stuck into holes 13. The bucket band or shroud ring 16, which is made up in a round ring, is -nowheated and slipped over the outer part of the buckets. When the bucket band 16 cools it shrinks and consequently forces the buckets against the periphery of the bucket wheel or disk 5.

till

In some cases and when iound desirable, as for example, in the case of small wheels, the bucket ends may be provided with tenons for riveting the bucket cover in'place. Under these circumstances the bucket cover will be shrunk down over the tenons as shown in Fig. 2 and the tenons then upset in the usual manner to hold the bucket cover in place. In other cases it may be desirable to utilize buckets without tenons and this arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 5. in this case the bucket cover 16 which is in the form of a continuous ring is shrunk around the buckets. After the bucket cover is in place the bucket wheel may be removed from the index plate, it this has not already been done, after which the bucket bases, the disk, and the successive turns of the strip are united by fusion of metal, as by being brazed or welded together in the well undcrstood manner, or otherwise fastened together This then forms in substance 9. solid unit. The bucket cover may or may not be fastened by fusion of metal as found desirable. ll'n general, when of the structure shown in Fig. 5, it will be so fastened.

will be noted that lever 8 always moves disk 5 the same angular distance and as the diameter of the disk increases, due to successive layers being wound thereon, the holes 13 will be automatically spaced farther apart so the holes in successive layers will align correctly.

By the above-described method, I produce a bucket wheel which is strong and light in weight and which can be produced at a relatively low cost asregards labor, for all the operations required are simple and little machine work is required. Also the buckets need not have specially shaped and finished bases but may be of the same contour through their length. This greatly simplilies the manufacture of the buckets.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, 1 have described the principle of operation off my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but ll desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure b l. The method of making bucket wheels, which comprises winding successive layers of strip material having spaced openings therein about a disk so the openings in successive layers coincide, inserting the bases of buckets in the openin s, and fastening the disk, layers and bucket liases together.

2. The method of making bucket wheels, which comprises winding successive layers of strip material having openings therein about a, disk so the openings in successive Letters Patent of the United States, is

layers coincide, inserting the bases oi buckets in the openings, and brazing or welding the disk, layers and bucket bases lo gether.

3. The method of making bucket wheels, which comprises taking a disk, winding successive layers of strip material thereon by a step by step movement and simultaneously punching holes in said strip, the holes being punched during the interval oi time between steps, inserting the bases of buckets in the holes, and brazing or welding the disk, layers and bucket bases together.

4. The method of making bucket wheels, which comprises winding successive layers oi st ip material having spaced openings therein about a disk so the openings in successive layers coincide, inserting the bases of buckets in the openings, placing a ring which has been heated to expand it around the bucket, permitting the ring to cool whereby it will shrink and iorce the buckets into the openings, and fastening the disks, layers and bucket bases together.

5. The method of making bucket wheels, which comprises taking a disk, winding successive layers of strip material thereon by a step by step movement and simultaneously punching holes said strip, the holes being punched during the intervals of time between steps, inserting the bases of buckets in the holes, shrinking a ring around the outer ends of said buckets, and brazing the discs, layers and bucket bases together.

6. The method of making a bucket wheel which comprises taking a disk, mounting a ring of buckets around it in a temporary manner, shrinking a bucket cover on the buckets, and then uniting the whole by insion of metal.

7. The method of making a bucket wheel which comprises taking disc, mounting a ring of buckets around it and shrinking a continuous bucket cover around the ends of. the ring of buckets to them tightly between the periphery of the wheel and the cover, and then uniting the disk, buckets and ring by fusion of metal.

8. A bucket wheel comprising a disk having wound thereon successive layers of strip material, said successive layers having aligned holes therein, and buckets having their bases fixed in said holes.

9. A bucket wheel comprising a disk having wound thereon successive layers of strip material, said successive layers having aligned holes therein, and buckets having their bases located in said holes, said disk, layers and bucket bases being brazed or welded together.

10. A bucket wheel comprising a disk having wound thereon successive layers ofstrip material, said successive layers having aligned holes therein, buckets having their bases fixed in said holes, and a bucket cover comprising a continuous ring which encircles the buckets.

11. A bucket carrying member comprising a disk having wound thereon successive layers of strip material, said successive layers having aligned holes therein, buckets having their bases fixed in said holes, said buckets having smooth ends, and a continuous bucket cover shrunk on said buckets.

. 12. A bucket wheel having wound thereon successive layers of material.

13. A bucket wheel the rim of which is formed of a plurality of successive layers of material located one on top of another and united to each other by fusion of metal.

14. A bucket wheel having wound thereon successive layers of material and buckets fastened therein.

15. The method of making a turbine element which comprises taking a carrying member, fastening thereon a member having openings therein at spaced intervals, mounting fluid directing elements on the carrying member with their ends in said openings and held in place by said member having the openings, and fastening such ends and members together byfusion of metal.

16. The method of making a turbine rotor element which comprises taking a carrying member, fastening thereon a member having openings therein at spaced intervals, mounting buckets on the carrying member with their inner ends in said openings, and held in place by said member having the openings, mounting a member around the other ends of the buckets, and fastening the parts together by fusion of metal.

17. The method of making a turbine rotor element which comprises taking a circular carrying member, mounting thereon a continuous member having spaced open:

ings, mounting a ring of buckets on the carrying member with their ends in the openings in said second member and held in place by such member, and fastening the bucket ends and members together by fusion of metal.

18. The method of making a turbine rotor element which comprises taking a supportand the strip on the carrying member, and permanently uniting said buckets, strip and member by fusion of metal.

20. A turbine element comprising a carrying member, a ring united to said carrying member by a brazing or welding material, said ring presenting spaced openings, and fluid directing elements fixed in said openings, and held by said ring.

21. A turbine element comprising a carrying member, a ring united to said carrying member by a brazing or Welding material, said ring presenting spaced openings, and fluid directing elements fixed in said openings by brazing or welding material, whereby are held by said ring.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of December, 1920.

CHRISTIAN STEENS TRUB.

said fluid directing elements. 

